Dr. K's Waiting Room

The Build-Up:
After making one of the most celebrated comebacks in wrestling history, former wild child “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels saw a career resurgence. The legendary “Nature Boy” Ric Flair also had a career revival after returning to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2001 and running with super sable Evolution, but saw his livelihood in jeopardy when WWE Chairman Vince McMahon promised to force Flair to retire the next time he lost a match as he believed Flair had paid his dues. After defying McMahon’s efforts, the wily veteran challenged HBK to a WrestleMania match while being inducted into the 2008 Hall of Fame, seemingly happy to end his career against the Showstopper if he lost.

The Match:
Shawn Michaels bounded to the ring with his usual enthusiasm to start, despite the implications of the match stipulation, to a raucous reception only matched by a unanimous show of support for Ric Flair. J.R. and the King expressed hope that the legendary Nature Boy could “rise to the occasion” once again but their intonation and word choices were a bit odd, as though they figured the outcome was a forgone conclusion and that Flair would be retiring by the night’s end. Ever the wily showman, Flair baited Shawn before the bell rang before going in for a traditional tie-up, suffering a knockdown from a shoulder block and trading wristlocks before being taken down with a hammerlock. A lazy hip toss was enough to send Flair strutting and taunting HBK with his signature “Woo!” cry, resulting in the two grappling and shoving each other in a corner. An errant slap from Shawn left Flair with a bloody lip, compelling him to unleash a flurry of knife edge chops in the corner and drop his patented running knee drop. Shawn went to the top and paid for it when Flair tossed him to the mat. Flair then followed up and, incredibly, hit a diving crossbody for a near fall! Flair then targeted Shawn’s leg to set up for the Figure Four Leglock, causing Shawn to frantically send Flair outside, where HBK crashed through an announce table off an apron moonsault. Favouring his ribs, Shawn gingerly returned to the ring, got tossed into the corners, and ate a back body drop for a two count. Though noticeably winded, slow, and weak from age, Flair continued his assault with a falling hip toss for another near fall and even hit a stalling vertical suplex for two more pin attempts.

HBK fought back with a swinging neckbreaker and tossed Flair back outside, though barely landing a top-rope moonsault. After they beat the ten count, they once again traded chops in the ring before Shawn hit his running forearm, kipped up, and hit a couple of inverted atomic drops. Still clutching his ribs, HBK landed his signature diving elbow drop and prepared for Sweet Chin Music, only to hesitate at the last second and find himself in the Figure Four! Luckily, Shawn quickly reversed it, leaving both men hobbled as they tried for pin falls. After turning Shawn inside out off a whip into a corner, Flair returned to the leg with a chop block but almost got pinned when HBK reversed a Figure Four. Tenacious, Flair reapplied the hold regardless, dragged Shawn from the ring ropes and maintaining the hold even as Shawn tried to reverse it. Eventually, HBK grabbed the ropes and nailed Sweet Chin Music out of nowhere as Flair was stylin’ and profilin’. A lackadaisical cover saw the Nature Boy get his shoulder up and hit a mule kick to HBK’s balls when Shawn muscled him up for another kick. After kicking out, Shawn applied a Figure Four of his own, though Flair weaselled out by thumbing his rival in the eye and returned to the chops, eating another surprise superkick and leaving a distraught Shawn preparing the final shot. Stubborn to the end, Flair goaded Shawn on, leading HBK to mutter “I’m sorry… I love you!” and immediately embrace Flair after landing Sweet Chin Music and bringing the Nature Boy’s in-ring WWE career to an end. Afterwards, an emotional Flair received a standing ovation and embraced his family at ringside, tears streaming as he acknowledge the crowd’s support.

The Aftermath:
An emotionally charged match, to be sure, but hardly the greatest match of Ric Flair’s storied career. It’s obvious that Flair is way past his prime here as he’s stumbling about, clearly winded, and struggling to do much but the basics. Shawn Michaels can have a good match with anyone and bounced all over the place for Flair, but it only served to highlight the Nature Boy’s flaws so I’m glad he went out with a bang. The next night on Raw, Flair came out to deliver a rousing farewell speech and being celebrated by the WWE roster, old friends like the Four Horseman and rivals like Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat and even earning the respect of the stoic Undertaker. Though Flair buried the hatchet with Shawn, HBK was near-immediately targeted by Flair’s old Evolution enforcer, Batista, for retiring his mentor. This obviously wasn’t the end for Ric Flair, who was involved in Chris Jericho’s campaign against his fellow WWE Legends at WrestleMania 25 before being written off television following an attack by Randy Orton. Flair had a brief spell in Ring of Honor (ROH) before embarking on a two-year run with Total Nonstop Action (TNA) that saw him mentor “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles, form the Fortune and Immortal stables, and return to the ring for matches against his old foes, Hulk Hogan and Mick Foley. Flair returned to the WWE in 2012 to manage his daughter, “The Queen” Charlotte Flair, and was brutalised by Batista during his own retirement tour. After being released from the WWE in 2021, Flair participated in a widely criticised “last match”, teaming with son-in-law Andrade El Ídolo against Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal, before appearing in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as part of “The Icon” Sting’s road to retirement.

My Rating:

Pretty Good

Were you satisfied by Ric Flair’s final WWE match or do you feel he tarnished the ending by continuing to wrestle? Did you also find Flair to be lacking in the match or were you captivated by the emotion? Do you think Flair should’ve won or do you think this was a fitting end? What are some of your favourite Flair and/or HBK matches? Like this review and let me know what you think in the comments, then donate to my Ko-Fi to suggest other Ric Flair and/or Shawn Michaels matches for me to review.